Hong Kong, known as the fragrant harbour, has been an entrepot for Southern China for many years. Endowed with a superb deep-water harbour offering a safe haven for ships in close proximity to the Pearl River Delta Region, Hong Kong has gradually developed over the years into a world-class container port.

Hong Kong has been a container port for more than four decades. In 2013, Hong Kong was one of the world's busiest container ports by handling 22.4 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs). The port is a vital economic infrastructure, handling 90% of Hong Kong's total cargo throughput.

Strategically located on the Far East trade routes and at the centre of the fast-developing Asia Pacific Basin, Hong Kong Port is renowned for efficient cargo handling operations. The Hong Kong Port is served by high frequency of sailings and service coverage – about 380 liner services per week connecting to around 550 destinations worldwide. The vast service network enabled Hong Kong to become a regional hub port.

The role of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government is to undertake long-term strategic planning for port facilities and to provide the necessary supporting infrastructure. Hong Kong is one of the few major international ports in the world where port facilities are financed, owned and operated by the private sector.

In 2013, 187 500 ships, comprising both ocean-going vessels and river trade vessels for cargo and passenger traffic, visited the port of Hong Kong.